Following Friday’s overtime win against Dartmouth, Quinnipiac coach Rand Pecknold didn’t mince words when asked about the next night’s opponent, Harvard.
“If you look at the poll, which is a whole another story, they got six first-place votes, which is a lot,” Pecknold said, adding that he was one of the six who put Harvard first. “And to be in ninth is just ridiculous. There’s obviously people somewhere, probably out west who left them off their ballot, which I don’t understand. The polls will sort themselves out, but I think Harvard is outstanding and I think they’re the best team in our league.”
Pecknold and the Bobcats saw that firsthand Saturday, as the Crimson won 5-2 in Hamden Saturday night to move into a tie with Quinnipiac for first place in the conference.
Will the Crimson (9-1-2) be No. 1 in this week’s poll? That remains to be seen, but more importantly, Harvard enters the semester break on a six-game unbeaten streak, which is the best in the nation.
The Crimson played this weekend without top center Alexander Kerfoot, who missed both games with an injury, according to The New Haven Register. But Harvard did have forward Sean Malone return after not playing this season due to an injury. The sophomore had two goals and two assists this weekend.
Like Pecknold said, the polls will sort themselves out. And to be honest, polls are good conversation starters, but I doubt the Crimson’s ranking this week will have much of an impact heading into the second half.
Union rolls on the road
Saturday’s game in New Haven between Yale and Union was a matchup of the last two national champions. But that probably mattered little to the Dutchmen, who simply needed to end the first half on a good note after losing to Western Michigan 8-2 last weekend in the championship game of the Shillelagh Tournament.
Union did just that, rolling over Brown 7-1 before beating the Bulldogs 3-1 behind 28 saves from backup goalie Alex Sakellaropoulos. The sophomore got the start after senior Colin Stevens was injured in the win against Brown.
The two wins give the Dutchmen four in its last five games heading into the break. That stretch comes after Union went from late October to mid-November without a win.
Teddy bear toss goes awry
Typically, it’s not a good sign when you make Deadspin (just look at Union and Rensselaer last year), but this is a lighter moment from Denver and Cornell series at Lynah Rink over the weekend. The Big Red held its annual teddy bear toss after Saturday’s game against the Pioneers, and one fan with an oversize bear had some trouble getting it over the glass. Give the fans a stick tap for their effort, with an assist going to Cornell senior Jacob MacDonald, who comes over toward the end of the video to help get the massive teddy bear over the glass.
